Environmental program regulates imports

Shipments of tile and other flooring products coming into the U.S. are always under scrutiny from American authorities, and for good reason: the environment.

According to Luciano Galassini, deputy managing director, Confindustria Ceramica, pests, insects and plants can sometimes enter the U.S. on the backs of European shipments, and can cause damage to the ecosystem. “They may be a part of the European culture, but they are not present in the U.S. ecosystem. They are very concerned about this, and this is why they inspect all the shipments of goods coming into the country,” he said.

Galassini further explained that whenever live pests that may be harmful to the environment are found, the shipments must be immediately fumigated and, in some instances, sent back at the distributor’s expense.

More than two years ago, in order to eliminate these inconveniences, the Ceramic Tile Distributors Association (CTDA) began dialogs with Confindustria Ceramica, the USDA, U.S. Customs and other experts. This year at Coverings, held this spring in Las Vegas, it announced the launch of the Good Phytosanitary Practices Program.

The program is a comprehensive standard system, with rigorous guidelines and the involvement of a third party certification partner that has experience in the agriculture and manufacturing sectors, used to improve shipping procedures for containers transported to the U.S.

“This program, when implemented properly, will save U.S. distributors money, will help U.S. distributors deliver products to their customers on time and will help to solidify the already excellent relationships U.S. distributors have with their export partners from Italy,” said Rick Church, executive director of the CTDA.

According to Galassini, the third party certification agency, based in Milan, will inspect every site of participating companies and will verify if it has put all measures of the guidelines in place. The CTDA and Confindustria Ceramica also published operating manuals for each company, and each will be led by a program director and all personnel trained. Manufacturers and shippers who have passed an independent inspection verifying they are following the Good Phytosanitary Practices Program will be allowed to use a new mark to distinguish their products from others.

Galassini added that if a shipment from a certified member is detained it will be reported back to the CTDA and Confindustria Ceramica. Both will consult with the violating company to understand the cause and prevent future violations, and the third party certification agency may also conduct unscheduled inspections to make sure all the operations are conducted properly.

Since its implementation earlier this year, more than 100 companies have signed up for the program. “This is a serious program; the companies are committed,” Galassini said.

Keith Carlson, a CTDA customs task force member and general manager of Material Management for Century Tile in Chicago, said that one year of the savings his company will realize from this program will pay for its CTDA dues for life.

“We hope that this may be a positive model for other exporters to this country to follow because I think everyone should care about the environment,” Galassini said.

Products participating in the program and certified will carry this new marked label.